BBC Two - Trust Me, I'm a Doctor, Series 8, Episode 1 - Can you get drunk on boozy food? (2024)

FAQs

Does white wine sauce contain alcohol? ›

Yes, white wine sauce typically contains alcohol. The wine is reduced and simmered with other ingredients to create a sauce, but the alcohol content does not completely evaporate and is still present in the sauce.

The answer is probably not, unless you're trying really, really hard! All the experts we consulted on this subject agreed that it would be very difficult to eat enough boozy food to push your blood alcohol content (BAC) over the drink-drive limit.

If you've ever been told that cooking "burns off" any alcohol in the food you're eating, be forewarned: That's entirely untrue.

Although alcohol remains, it's highly unlikely that dishes cooked with alcohol will cause intoxication. The amount of wine, beer, or spirits found in most recipes is so small that, even if left uncooked, an adult would never feel its effects.

The end product contains very little if any alcohol. So to answer your question the best way I can. White wine vinegar is made with white wine and has many of its components. However it is no longer the alcoholic beverage it once was.

Sacks stresses that how much alcohol ends up in a dish also depends on the recipe's proportions. If you add a standard glass of white wine to a risotto that serves 8 people, each person will consume less than an eighth of a glass, assuming some of the alcohol will evaporate.

Alcohol evaporates faster than the water in the wine, but there will still be a little alcohol left after cooking. The amount that remains depends on what is being cooked, as noted in the table below. A stew, such as beef bourguignon, that cooks for a few hours will have time for more of the alcohol to burn off.

The science:

Alcohol does partially evaporate during cooking, but not as much as you might think. Depending on the cooking method and how much alcohol is used, anywhere from 4 to 85 percent of the alcohol may remain. After 15 minutes of cooking, about 40 percent of the alcohol remains.

Yes, breathalyzers are capable of detecting small amounts of alcohol. So, if you had one bottle of beer or a glass of wine at dinner, the alcohol from that drink can be detected by a breath test machine. The fact that a small amount of alcohol can show up on a breath test is not cause for concern in itself.

Sadly, they're not great as a regular part of your diet. An average individual meat pie provides around 450kcal, but the biggest problem is the 12g of saturated fat inside it – that's more than half the daily guideline. If you have buttery mashed potato or chips on the side, the fat content of your meal is even higher.

Does red wine in food get you drunk? ›

Drinking cooking wine can get you drunk, but cooking with it will not. As noted above, cooking wine has a high ABV. Regardless of any other content, high levels of alcohol are entirely capable of getting someone drunk. Drinking wine for cooking would be equivalent to drinking a heavier red wine.

When ice is added to a drink, the ratios of the spirits —and as a result, the alcohol content — will remain the same. The ice will lower the proof per volume, and make the spirits smoother to drink while providing the same amount of buzz. You can expect your drink to taste less fiery, and more thirst-quenching.

The science is unmistakable: alcohol is still present in food after preparation and cooking. Even after long periods of heating, trace amounts of alcohol remain, which could adversely affect a recovering alcoholic.

It usually takes around 2 to 3 hours for the alcohol to evaporate completely when added to a dish that is cooking on a low heat. When cooking at high heat, e.g. frying or sautéing, it can take as little as 30 seconds for the alcohol to evaporate.

You've likely heard that the cooking process burns alcohol away, removing its potency and making it safe for people who don't drink or can't. Unfortunately, that idea is a myth. Alcohol remains present in significant amounts.

Sorry to spoil the party, but here's the real deal: Simply heating alcohol, or any other cooking liquid, does not make it evaporate as quickly as a child's allowance in a candy store. The longer you cook, the more alcohol cooks out, but you have to cook food for about 3 hours to fully erase all traces of alcohol.

Halal consumers should simply not cook with alcohol. In addition, for multiple reasons, it's not advised for Muslims to bring alcohol into their homes for cooking. When eating in restaurants, Halal consumers are advised to ask if the food contains alcohol and to avoid it.

While alcohol does have a lower boiling point than water, even after hours of cooking some residual alcohol will not evaporate. Even after 2–1/2 hours, tests have shown that ~5% of the original amount remains. In many cases the amount of alcohol remaining is very slight.

The alcohol content in white wine varies from 5% to 14% but comes in at an average of 10% ABV. The less ripe, white grapes used in fermentation have less sugar than darker grapes. This sugar converts to ethanol at a lower rate as well.